Who's #1?

Eli Manning winning his second ring with yet another game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter against the Patriots in the Super Bowl has opened up the customary post-Super Bowl debate: Who's the best QB in the NFL right now?

Much to the surprise of no one, New Yorkers as well as media outlets with a P.H.d in overreaction and hysteria hit the social media world to declare Eli's greatness and label him everything short of our newest savior and leader of the free world. Former ESPN personality Max Kellerman opened up a debate on Twitter as to whether Eli was the greatest 4th quarter quarterback of all-time, which lead to Giants fans damn near tripping over themselves to tweet back that the newest King of New York has surpassed the likes of Joe Montana and John Elway and has emerged as "Mr. Clutch". It's what's to be expected of significantly biased fans moments after their team gets a taste of a championship. This time a year ago, most Packers fans would tell you Aaron Rodgers could walk on water while simultaneously curing cancer.

Once the dust settles, however, the question as to who is the top signal caller in the NFL will need a legitimate, non-biased answer. Eli Manning certainly went out of his way to put his name in the discussion and strike back at those who scoffed at his preseason claim that he was an elite QB in the stature of a Tom Brady. But is he #1, and if not, who is? It's a quandary I passed along via text to some of my friends to get varying opinions to mix in with my own thoughts on the matter. At the end of the day, we settled on six quarterbacks who can stake claim to the top spot. Since this is MY website, I ranked them in the order I felt they fall in based on some heavy research and my own takes on their personal achievements.

To help build suspense(though, granted, you could just scroll down), I'm starting from #6 and moving down(or up, if you want to be technical). Feel free to send me your outrage.....

6. Peyton Manning(Age: 35. Will be 36 in March)

Credentials: 4-time NFL MVP, 11-time Pro Bowler, 5-time first-team All-Pro, 3-time 2nd-team All-Pro, lead Colts to two Super Bowls, winning one of them, Super Bowl MVP, fastest to 4,000 completions, fastest to 50,000 passing yards, started 227 straight games including playoffs prior to missing the 2011 season

The case for Peyton: He's the NFL's only four-time MVP. He's remarkably consistent, throwing for at least 4,000 yards in all but two of his thirteen seasons(not including this season, which he didn't play a down of) and threw at least 25 touchdown passes every year since 1998(his rookie season), surpassing the 30 TD mark four times and hitting the 40 TD mark once in 2004 with a then-NFL record 49. The biggest case for Manning's standing atop the QB mountain may have came without him even seeing the field. With Manning sidelined the entire year coming off neck surgery, the Colts plummeted to a league-worst 2-14 record.

The case against Peyton: Obviously, uncertainty is the biggest issue with Manning. For one, we don't know if he'll ever play again. There were early reports that Manning has been cleared to play but Colts owner Jim Irsay says his team doctors declare otherwise. What we DO know is Manning has seen his last days as an Indianapolis Colt as the team will move on with inevitable #1 pick Andrew Luck in 2012. At 36, coming off three neck surgeries, having not played a game since January of last year and now starting for a as-yet-unknown team, it's hard to gauge the prospects of Peyton returning to the top. How much faith do you put in Peyton putting up his usual numbers in somewhere like Washington or Miami? What about if he lands on a contender like Kansas City or the Jets? There's still so much we don't know yet, but Peyton's resume is long enough to warrant him a spot on the list.

5. Drew Brees(age: 33)

Credentials: 6-time Pro Bowler, 4-time All-Pro, Super Bowl champion and MVP, 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, AP Male Athlete of the Year, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, all-time single season record holder for passing yards, completions, 300+ yard games in a season, most consecutive seasons with 4,000 yards(6, tied with Peyton Manning), most consecutive seasons with 4,000 yards and 30+ TD's(4 and counting), most completions in a Super Bowl(32), only QB to throw for 5,000 yards in a season twice in his career

The case for Drew: Brees is a statistical juggernaut, as evident by the paragraph above(and those are only the important achievements. The other NFL records and team records could have stretched another four lines). Since coming to New Orleans and uniting with Sean Payton, Brees went on a campaign to rub San Diego's nose(as well as other teams that passed on him in free agency, like Miami) in a pile of excrement for leaving him for dead following his shoulder injury at the end of the 2005 season. He's proven to be a mortal lock for 4,000 yards and 30 TD's, at minimum, and he's doing it with guys who aren't exactly big names like Lance Moore and Jimmy Graham.

The case against Drew: It's hard to knock such a world-class human being but if there's a bone to pick with Brees, it might be his lack of success in the playoffs. If you take away his miracle Super Bowl run in 2009, Brees' postseason career is littered with some disappointments, including getting eliminated by inferior Seattle two years ago and losing a stunner to San Francisco this past season. Brees is 5-4 in his career in the playoffs, which isn't horrible but could be a lot better when you consider the opposition that sent Brees and company home early. It also should be mentioned that Brees got off to such a slow start in San Diego that the team invested the #1 pick in the 2004 Draft on Eli Manning(which they later turned into Philip Rivers), which lead to Brees' exile from the Chargers not long after.

3. (tie) Ben Roethlisberger(age: 29), Eli Manning(age: 31)

Credentials for Roethlisberger: 2-time Pro Bowler, lead Steelers to three Super Bowls before he even turned 30 and won two, AP NFL Rookie of the Year, most wins by a rookie QB in a season(13), youngest QB to win a Super Bowl, second-youngest QB to win two Super Bowls

Credentials for Manning: 2-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion, 2-time Super Bowl MVP, NFL record for most 4th quarter TD passes in a single season(15), NFL record for most road wins in the playoffs by a quarterback(5)

The case for Big Ben: From the minute he stood under center for the Steelers, Roethlisberger changed Pittsburgh's fortunes for the better. He went 14-1(including playoffs) in his rookie season and won his first Super Bowl in his second year as starter. Since then, he's been the model for toughness(albeit, not exactly durability) and is the chief reason the Steelers remain a contender year-in and year-out. When legendary coach Bill Cowher retired, many thought the Steelers would take a while to bounce back under new coach Mike Tomlin. Instead, Roethlisberger carried the Steel Curtian to another Super Bowl title and came within a final drive of winning his third one two years ago against Green Bay.

The case against Big Ben: His numbers aren't spectacular, but they are solid for a QB leading a team that's known for being smashmouth(though they became more pass-oriented under former OC Bruce Arians). Roethlisberger has thrown for more than 25 TD passes twice in eight seasons and has eclipsed the 4,000 yard mark twice as well. For all his toughness and willingness to play through pain, even Ben has his limits. Roethlisberger has played a full season just once in his career and, oddly enough, it was his worst season statistically(17 TD-to-15 INT). Big Ben also has the Drew Bledsoe curse of staying in the pocket too long waiting for the big play to develop and taking unnecessary sacks. Since 2006, Big Ben has been sacked at least 40 times every season except 2010, when he missed four games due to suspension(and he still finished with 32 sacks).

The case for Eli: For the second time in the Super Bowl(and the third time in the past three showdowns), Eli Manning marched down the field against the New England Patriots and engineered the game-winning drive. He has emerged as Mr. 4th Quarter and he will forever be known for his valiant effort in Super Bowl 42, defeated a then-undefeated Patriots team and pulling off one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history when he connected with David Tyree on the game-winning drive. He's thrown for 4,000 yards in the last three seasons and is now 7-3 in the playoffs.

The case against Eli: These are the facts Giants fans aren't trying to hear when they are busying championing Eli as the second coming. For all the talk about Eli's postseason greatness, it should be mentioned that Eli's playoff achievements barely happened because Eli and company were so underwhelming in the regular season that they needed late-season collapses by the Cowboys to back into the playoffs. In Eli's two Super Bowl champion years, the Giants were 10-6 and 9-7 in 2007 and 2011 respectively. In between those two years, Eli lead the Giants to the playoffs ONCE and they were one-and-done in 2008. It should also be mentioned that the same fans that now think Eli is a gridiron Jesus were ready to throw him and coach Tom Coughlin out of the Big Apple prior to the 2007 playoffs. Eli's thrown more than 30 TD's once in his career but has lead the league in interceptions twice. As great as he's been against the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, he got outplayed twice by the Redskins this season(your starting QB's for Washington in those games? Rex Grossman. Yikes.). Manning also took L's this season to teams led by Vince Young and Tarvaris Jackson. Look, I'm not saying Eli hasn't stepped up into the upper echelon of quarterbacks but run his numbers against Big Ben's and tell me how they aren't freakishly similar. You've never heard anyone call Big Ben the best QB in the game, have you? Two Super Bowl wins certainly legitimizes Eli's claim to the crown but it hardly secures his seat on the throne. Feel free to send me your hate mail, Giants fans.

2. Aaron Rodgers (age: 28)

Credentials: 2-time Pro Bowler, First-team All-Pro once, NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion and MVP, AP Male Athlete of the Year, NFL single-season record holder for QB rating(122.5), only QB to throw for 4,000 in each of his first two seasons as starter, only QB to in NFL history to throw for 45+ touchdowns and 6 or less interceptions.

The case for A-Rod: Oh, I can see your predictable jabs now. "Aw, Dave's a homer! How can he put Rodgers ahead of Eli when Eli beat Rodgers in the playoffs this year!?". A valid question, I grant you. The proof is in the numbers. Football is a team sport, not an individual sport, no matter how much we want to chalk Super Bowls down to Brees vs. Peyton or Big Ben vs. A-Rod or Eli vs. Brady. At the end of the day, one TEAM emerges victorious(That being said, A-Rod is 1-1 against Eli, even if Eli's win came in a game of greater importance). If we gave individuals credit for team accomplishments, then Big Ben would be alot higher on this list. If you want to put Eli ahead of A-Rod because the Giants beat the Packers in the playoffs than I get to put Donovan McNabb ahead of Eli for the number of times McNabb has sent Eli packing in the postseason. Sound fair? Didn't think so. What Rodgers has done in such a short span, not to mention the fact he took over for an icon in Brett Favre amidst a very ugly split between Favre and the team, is nothing short of incredible. Yes, the Packers backed into the playoffs last season, got hot at the right time and won the Super Bowl, a la Eli in 2007. Rodgers came back the next year, went 14-1 as a starter, won the NFL MVP in a landslide and came a few dropped passes and bad defense from running the table again. 4,000 yards in back-to-back seasons isn't as impressive as it used to be considering defensive rule changes now allow the game to be glorified two-hand touch and passing offenses have become a bit more creative. A 45-6 TD-to-INT ratio in an offense that is almost exclusively utilizing the pass, however? Remarkable.

The case against A-Rod: We're judging Rodgers on such a short sample. Even though he's been in the league seven years, Rodgers has only started for four. Granted, in those three seasons, he's 41-21 as a starter but it's hard to get too worked up over four seasons of work. On top of that, Rodgers has laid some eggs in the playoffs. As good as the Giants were this year, the Packers proved they could beat Big Blue and a lot of the blame for that Divisional round loss falls on Rodgers' shoulders for being surprisingly off in key moments. Rodgers also cost the Packers a Wild Card win in Arizona when he fumbled the ball away which lead to the game-winning touchdown in overtime(In Rodgers' defense, he brought the Packers back from 21-0. In the anti-Rodgers' defense, his two early turnovers were the chief reason they were down so much.). We need to see more excellence out of Rodgers before we could give him the title that he fictitiously applies to himself after every score. You could do alot worse than 3-2 in the playoffs in your first three years but Rodgers needs more seasons like 2010 to keep him out of the Phillip Rivers "great regular season QB's who flop in the playoffs" category. Also, and it pains me to say this as a Packers fan, Matt Flynn's record-setting performance in Week 17 this season hurt Rodgers' stock a little bit to me, even if it came against a terrible Lions defense.

1. Tom Brady(age: 34)

Credentials: 7-time Pro Bowler, 2-time First Team All-Pro, 2nd-team All-Pro once, 2-time MVP, 2-time Offensive Player of the Year, lead the Patriots to five Super Bowls, winning three as well as two Super Bowl MVPs, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, AP Male Athlete of the Year, 2-time Sportsman of the Year, NFL record for touchdown passes in a single-season(50), most consecutive wins in the playoffs(10), most career completions in the Super Bowl, most consecutive passing attempts without an interception(358), one of two quarterbacks to lead his team to an undefeated regular season

The case for Tom: As much as Giants fans want to herald Eli as the king of comebacks, here's a stat for you: With the his team tied or down in the 4th quarter, Brady has engineered 33 game-winning drives in his career(three of which coming in the Super Bowl, albeit not against Eli Manning. You got me there, Giants fans.). He's 8-1 in overtime games. He's 138-40 as a starter, 14-5 in the playoffs. As disappointing as the last two Super Bowl losses were(especially since New England was favored both times, including being heavy favorites in 2007/2008), there's a short list of QB's who have lead their team to five Super Bowls. That list? Tom Brady....The End. Sure, Eli Manning has his number....and Shane Mosley has Oscar De La Hoya's number. It's a mere bump in the road along the way of a decorated career. Brady's lead the league in TD passes three times, passing yards twice and completion percentage once. He's as statistically dominant a quarterback as we've seen in the history of the game. Before Eli pulled off the single greatest Super Bowl upset by dispatching an 18-0 Patriots team, Brady pulled off a pretty big upset of his own by taking a heavy underdog Patriots team and beating Kurt Warner and "The Greatest Show On Turf" for his first Super Bowl in 2001. I know this piece seems more like an Eli Manning roast than an acknowledgement of his standing among the game's best passers, but that's mainly because everything that overzealous fans want to give Eli credit for has been done before by other guys on this list. You want to take Eli's 2011 season and use it as proof that he's better than Tom Terrific or Joe Cool, then I'm going to suggest you re-watch "The Catch" or Montana's sterling drive against Cincinnati in the Super Bowl or any one of Brady's 4th quarter drives in his three Super Bowl wins. I'm not even a Brady fan, but I know greatness when I see it and two losses on the biggest stage doesn't sully a career enough to put someone with paltry career numbers over a human record book.

The case against Tom: If you want to pick nits, he dropped the ball in two Super Bowls he should have had in the bag. After leading the game-winning drives in Super Bowl wins against St. Louis, Philadelphia and Carolina, Brady let us down by failing not once, but twice against the Giants in the Super Bowl when he had superior offenses in both games(Though the offenses were a bit closer in 2011 than in 2008). He also gets some criticism for being the poster child for the "sissy-fying" of the NFL. Thanks to Brady's season-ending knee injury in 2008 when Bernard Pollard hit him low in the first game of the season, the NFL has went out of its way to protect QB's like sacred cows. Brady's constant whining for roughing calls also makes it hard to root for him and there are Raiders fans still bitter that Brady introduced us to the "Tuck Rule". If you want to say it's unfair for holding the last two Super Bowls against Brady, so be it. If Brady isn't 0-2 against the Giants in the Super Bowl, this isn't even a debate. Tom Brady should be a five-time Super Bowl champion. Instead, he can settle for a seat atop the QB mountain. For now.